Got tickets to a canceled or postponed concert? Here's what you need to know.

Concerts came to a screeching halt because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Shows didn't happen in April, aren't happening in May — and venues likely will be closed for most, or even all, of summer.

Several of the biggest touring acts in the world — including Kenny Chesney, Elton John, Rage Against The Machine, Guns N' Roses, Halsey, Michael Bublé, Roger Waters, Chris Stapleton and Dave Matthews Band — have already rescheduled their Milwaukee shows this year for 2021.

So if a show you bought tickets for was affected by the pandemic, what happens now?

This guide will help straighten things out.

Canceled concerts

Several artists that had Milwaukee stops scheduled this spring and summer — including Latin music superstar Ozuna, comedian Chris Tucker, country-pop duo Sugarland, classic rockers Journey and fast-rising rapper and rocker Yungblud — have pulled the plug on their tours entirely.

If you bought firsthand tickets online to a concert that was canceled, you'll be contacted by venues and ticket sellers and get a refund automatically, which includes service fees, although not postage costs if your tickets were shipped. There have never been so many concerts around the world canceled at once, so it could take a bit. Refunds through the largest ticket marketplace, Ticketmaster, could take up to 30 days, according to its customer service page for events affected by the pandemic.

That's also the policy for ticket resellers SeatGeek, but StubHub and Vivid Seats are giving different options. Instead of refunds, StubHub is issuing a 120% credit that can be used for an order or multiple orders in the United States over the next 12 months. Vivid Seats is automatically offering a 110% credit, or the option of a refund within seven days of notification of an event's cancellation.

If you purchased tickets at venue box offices in cash, refunds will be available through the point of purchase, but box offices are closed for now. You should still be able to get your refunds at some point; check venue sites for contacts and more information.

Rescheduled concerts

Some artists — like the reunited Rage Against The Machine, crooner Michael Bublé, country pop duo Dan + Shay and comedy legend Carol Burnett — have announced new dates for their shows, including Milwaukee stops. Any tickets previously purchased will be honored for the new date, so hold onto them. You don't have to do anything else.

But if the new dates don't work for your schedule, and you bought tickets from venues or their ticket providers, you should be able to request a refund. For tickets purchased through Ticketmaster, you typically have 30 days after a date change is announced for an event has been announced to start the process through the Request a Refund link on your account page.

In Milwaukee, Ticketmaster covers shows at Fiserv Forum, the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Miller High Life Theatre, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and Potawatomi Hotel & Casino's Northern Lights Theater. The Pabst Theater Group and The Rave use Etix, while Shank Hall uses Ticketweb. You can reach out to those venues about refunds, or the customer support channels on the websites for those ticket sellers. Again, processing refunds may take longer than usual.

Ticket resellers StubHub, Seat Geek and Vivid Seats don't offer refunds for rescheduled shows, but you can sell your tickets through their sites. You can also sell Ticketmaster tickets through their resale marketplace.

Postponed concerts

At this point, most of the shows affected by the pandemic aren't canceled, and they have yet to be rescheduled. That's the case for Kenny Chesney and Florida Georgia Line at Miller Park, and Roger Waters and Elton John at Fiserv Forum. They have all confirmed Milwaukee shows in 2021, with no dates set yet.

You can also consider all of the previously announced Summerfest shows to be postponed, at least for the time being. The festival is moving from June 24 to July 5, to Sept. 3 to 5, 10 to 12 and 17 to 19. As of mid-May, festival officials hadn't announced which of the nine American Family Insurance Amphitheater shows or the seven BMO Harris Pavilion shows that were announced before all this will take place during Summerfest's new window. Expect some news in the coming weeks.

For now, venues are encouraging consumers to hold onto their tickets and be patient. If you want your money back regardless, you can reach out to venues and ticket sellers and make a request, but typically refunds aren't issued for postponed shows until new dates are set or the shows are canceled.

You also can try to sell your tickets through resale sites, but note that with concerts on hold for the foreseeable future, there isn't much demand for tickets.

Concerts still on sale

If you're skittish about committing to any specific shows, consider buying gift cards. Revenue has ground to a halt for independent venues, so they can use all they can get now so they'll be able to reopen their doors when everything gets back to normal.